Why Southampton can help Olivier Giroud become an Arsenal GREAT

After three games and no goals, people have already started asking questions about Olivier Giroud's credentials as a goal scorer. However, as Arsenal take on Southampton, the omens are good for the Frenchman as he can emulate Gunners aces Ian Wright, Dennis Bergkamp, Thierry Henry and Robin van Persie by scoring against the Saints

Arsenal striker Olivier Giroud may be struggling for goals since his move in the summer, but his wait could soon be over because the Gunners are about to take on Southampton. Three games without finding the back of the net and people have already begun piling pressure on a player who finished joint top scorer in Ligue 1 last season, but history tells us that this is the fixture where he can forge a reputation as an Arsenal goal king. Just ask Ian Wright, Dennis Bergkamp, Thierry Henry and Robin Van Persie...

Arsenal's new hero has the Wright stuff: 28 September, 1991
George Graham's move to bring in Ian Wright from Crystal Palace for £2.5m in 1991 proved to be a masterstroke and he wasted no time settling in. Wrighty marked his debut against Leicester in the League Cup with a goal, but grabbed his first league strikes with a hat-trick in the old First Division against Southampton at The Dell, in a 4-0 win for the Gunners. He capped a brilliant first campaign with Arsenal by notching another treble against the Saints in a 5-1 triumph at Highbury on the last day of the season, in the last ever game in front of the old North Bank, pipping Tottenham's Gary Lineker to the Golden Boot in the process.

Bergkamp breaks his duck with delightful double: 23 September, 1995
Just 17 minutes into a match against Southampton at Highbury, the Dutch master ended a run of six games without scoring following his £7.5m summer move from Inter. The first of his 120 Arsenal goals was a superb volley into the bottom corner and his second was pure Bergkamp. Collecting the ball just inside the opposition half, he jinked his way with a surging run to the edge of the Saints area and rifled in a 25-yard shot to make it 3-2, with Ian Wright on hand to make it 4-2.

Thierry Henry ends nine-game goal drought in typical style: 18 September, 1999
He may have gone on to become Arsenal's record goal scorer, but not long after signing for the Gunners Thierry Henry had fans scratching their heads as to how he could possibly replace Nicolas Anelka, who had left for Real in the summer. Arsene Wenger paid Juventus £11m to bring him to north London and he ended his initial drought by collecting a pass from Tony Adams on the edge of Southampton's area and, with a neat turn, fired in the game's only goal at the Dell. He went on to score another 227 goals in two spells at Arsenal.

Robin van Persie opens his Premier League account by rescuing Arsenal: 30 October, 2004
His first goal in an Arsenal shirt came in a 2-1 League Cup win against Man City, but last season's goal machine, in his fourth league appearance following his transfer from Feyenoord, earned his side a point with a beautiful last minute strike. His curling effort, which smashed into the top corner, ensured Arsenal avoided a second successive defeat after Man United had ended their 49-game unbeaten run a week earlier. Van Persie scored 132 goals in 211 games for Arsenal and, incidentally, his first hat-trick for new club Man United came against Southampton.

A warning to Arsenal: Goal king Shearer begins life in the top flight with treble against Arsenal: 9 April, 1988
A few weeks after making his first league appearance, Southampton's 17-year-old apprentice, Alan Shearer, bagged a hat-trick on his full debut as the Saints thrashed Arsenal 4-2 at The Dell. Shearer, who ended his career with 260 Premier League goals, plus 30 for England, became the youngest player in the top flight to score three in a match, breaking Jimmy Greaves' 30-year record. Could Gaston Ramirez now bag his first goal for the Saints against the Gunners?

Do you think Olivier Giroud can transfer his goal scoring form in France to the Premier League?